Gregorio LopezM. LocksBritish Lit4/7/14The First Opium War and its consequences for the ChineseTo the normal Chinese man of the early 19th century, opium was nothing more than a luxury enjoyed only by those with power or a superior influence could be indulged. By the 19th century, opium had become a commodity that everyone could have and at the same time seemed to need. Although it had become an integral part of normal Chinese culture, it did not benefit the Chinese people or culture, nor the people nor the government. The only advantage this seemed to have was for the British. The British were thriving on China's new opium market, where the Chinese were beginning to become addicted to a drug that was slowly poisoning their way of life. People no longer worried about their advancement and the safety of their families, but how and when they could obtain more opium. The Chinese government was not happy about this situation and decided to take a stance that, in the long run, would only harm the very people they were trying to protect. This position is known as the First Opium War (1839-1842). By the end of the First Opium War, China had begun to lose its sense of identity due to the reliance on treaties and the encroachment of foreign countries, beginning with the British and their Treaty of Nanking. Over the years, Britain had always tried to use Chinese markets. to their advantage. This was considered the main and only cause of the outbreak of the First Opium War. Although the British were making profits selling their own products to Chinese consumers, they were not earning enough to counter the massive spending they were making on the Chinese... middle of paper ...... at the Treaty of Nanking creating new ports for foreigners and allowing them to live a life unlike what was expected of the Chinese people. The Chinese had become addicted to drugs and it was becoming easier and easier for him to obtain the opium he needed to satisfy his craving, but to obtain the opium he left behind everything his country had taught him about his own self-esteem. The man was no longer the one who would instill traditional Chinese values ​​in his country's youth; these would be the new foreigners like the British traders who came to China to profit from trade. The same traders who sold opium, who would have a greater influence on China's transformation from a country traditionally isolated from foreign influence, to one that would later become a major power in foreign trade and open to most foreign influences..